Language of the Valley
'Phonetic' 'Syllable structure' Type: CVC #Head (or initial consonant): all the consonants. #Body (or simply vowel): all the vowels. #Tail (or final consonant): all the consonants except B (ㅂ), G (ㄱ), D (ㄷ), Z (ㅅ). Note: All the final voiced consonants ("tail") between 2 simple vowels become voiceless. 'Consonants' Note: *T/D = sounds like Spanish or Italian, not like in English. *G = voiceless like in "Guardian" *J = can be pronounced in 3 different way: "ch" like in church, "j" like in "joke", but more commonly "j" like in "jarden" (french) *Z = sound like "s" in "rose" 'Vowels, grammatical and natural diphtongs' 'Reduction and reinforcement' Reduction and reinforcement is a way to semantically reduce or reinforce a syllable meaning and affects the central vowel of the syllable itself. Generally adding y- reduces the meaning, w- reinforces it. However, some sounds cluster isn't allowed (e.g. basic -o = red. yo = reinf. oa // basic -i = red. wi = reinf. ei). Exemple of reduction and reinforcement: *'Bol' = pot/casserole/basket (basic meaning: container/holder/receptacle) *''Byol'' (reduced) = basin/bowl/dish (as per a smaller container) *''Boal ''(reinforced) = barrel/cask (as per a bigger container) *''Jom'' = fire / burn *''Jaom'' (reinforced) = bushfire / forestfire 'Word fusion' When 2 or more syllables merge together to make a new word, the final consonats of the 1st syllable merge with the first consonant of the 2nd syllable (cVc + cVc = cVCCVc; where "c" is a consonant and "CC" is a new consonant cluster after the junxion) 1° Group: -P, –T, –K, –S, –Sh, –J: *Cause the gemination of the next consonants and are assimilated. *S+R, SH+R and J+R = always JJ. 2° Group: -M, -N: *Become M- before P, B, M. *Become N- before T, D, K, G, S, Z, SH, J e N. *M+L and N+L = ND. *M+R and N+R = NJ. 3° Group: -L, -R: *Keep the same before P, B, T, D, K, G, M, N. *Cause the gemination before S, Z, SH, J and are assimilated. 'General Grammar' 'Word Order' 1. Topic = has not a specific grammatical marker, but is always at the first place of the sentence. It can collide with the subject in nominative form. It could be also in the genitive (subject's or object's attribute), locative (expressing time like "in summer" or places like "at home") or even vocative (like in the sentence: "Oh John, I used your pen!"). 2. Subject = the actor of the action. 3. Dative = the actor receiving the action. 4. Object = the object of the action. 5. Verb = the action. 6. Other oblique cases. This could be a standard phrase: John gave me a piece of the apple at home. "Apple" is genitive because is refered to "a piece" (a piece of apple), not to John and since it's the topic of what we are talking about, goes to the first place. 'Noums' Syllables (often CVC) are inflected by cases. 'Suffix' *State: radix + -a (ㅏ) *Movement: radix + -i (ㅣ) Suffixes mediate between the radix and the case. It can be considered as part of the case itself, however it has its own meaning (static vs dynamic). Exemple: *''Bolani ''(static + -ni = locative): is in the pot. *''Bolini ''(dynamic + -ni = illative): goes to the pot. 'Plural' *Radix + suffix + case + -ri (리) It goes after the case. Exemple: *''Bola ''(the pot) -> '' bolari ''(the pots) *''Bolani ''(in the pot) -> bolaniri (in the pots) *''Bolini'' (to the pot) -> boliniri (to the pots) 'Static cases (state suffix)' 'Dynamic cases (movement suffix)' 'Adjective' 'Positive grade (or zero grade)' *Radix + -i (ㅣ) (Invariable). Exemple: *''huzi'' = good, genuine (from hus "genuinity") 'Comparative grade' *Majority: adjective + -ka (카) *Minority: adjective + -shi (지) *Equality: adjective Exemples: *''huzi ''= good / as good as *''huzika'' = better *''huzishi'' = less good 'Comparative word order' *''With noums'': adjective + comparative + genitive. *''With adjectives'': majority + minority Exemples: * wih noums: huzika masho = better than me (litt. better of me) * with adjectives: huzika ranishi'' = better than happy (litt. more good and less happy, e.g. "she's more good than happy") '''Superlative grade It uses the same comparative form with nothing next. Exemple: *'''''huzika = the best 'Demostrative adjectives/pronoums and adverbs' Since they end with -h, they aren't really pronouns, nor adjective (-i). They are adverbs but act like adjectives too. *''Sheh'' (정): "here", but also "this/these". *''Teh'' (텅): "there", but also "that/those". Exemples: *This girl = the "here"'' girl, the girl here, near to me. *That boy = the "''there" boy, the boy there, near to you. 'Adjectival Verb (nominal phrase)' *Adjective + -z (ㅅ) + verbal inflection. An adjectival verb is simply an adjective merged with a contraction ('-z-') of the verb "to be" (zir). It acts as a verb. Exemple: *I am good = huzizam (litt. "good-be-me"). As adjectives do, an adjectival verb can get superlative grade too. Exemple: *I am better/the best = huzikazam (litt. "good-more-be-me"). 'Participle *''Active'' (acts like a noum): radix + -ari (ㅏ리) (e.g. teach'er') *''Passive'' (acts like an adjective): radix + -ui (ㅟ) (e.g. teach'ed') *''Potential'' (acts like an adjective): radix + -idi (ㅣ디) (e.g. teach'able') Note: you can notice that: *''active form'' has the same ending of singular nominative, it's a sort of "nominalization" of the verb. *''passive form'' takes an u''-ending (optative form that express desire), plus the i-ending adjective stem. *''potential form ''is less clear, it's end with -''idi. Probably the first "-i" stands for the potential mood, but nobody knows it for sure. 'Personal pronoums' 'Personal pronoum: ma (me)' 'Personal pronoum: ka (you)' 'Personal pronoum: sha (he/she)' Note: It doesn't distinguish the gender. Verb Verb structure. 1. Radix = the meaning-career part of the verb 2. Diathesis = the voice that express the relationship between verbs and their arguments. 3. Mood = the modality which the speaker express their attitude toward the action. 4. Aspect = indicates if the action is ended or continous. 5. Person = indicates who's doing the action. 6. Number = indicates singolarity or plurality. Note: Since the language was originally spoken by an Elf race, the language itself prefers aspects than tences. For an almost immortal Elf, time/tence is not that important. He doesn't care if the action was in the past, in the future or is happening right now. The point is "Is it already done/finished?". A verb like '''''huzizashim means a sort of "I'm good and I'm continuing to be like that", while huzizatem ''means "I am good and I've finished to be like that". Diathesis (voice) Active: zero-stem (I see) Passive: -ib- (ㅣㅂ) (I am seen) Reflexive: -em- (ㅓㅁ) (I see myself) Reciprocal: -ij- (ㅣㅊ) (We see each other) Causative: -ag- (ㅏㄱ) (I "make" you see, I show you) Mood Indicative: -a- (ㅏ) ( I see) Optative: -u (ㅜ) (I want to see, I would like to see, I desire to see, I would see) Potential: -i (ㅣ) (I can see, I could see) Imperative: -oa (ㅘ) (I must see, I have to see, I should see) Aspect Aorist: zero-stem (I see, undenieble truth over times) Imperfective: -shi- (지) (I'm seen, action is running) Perfective: -te- (터) (I saw, I finished to see, action is ended) Future: -ra- (라) (I will see) Note 1: As we stated before, the language is more aspectual than temporal. However the imperfective has a sense of present, while perfective has a sense of past. For instance, we can state that "I'm sitting, I sit" is imperfective, while "I'm seated" is perfective. Note 2: as per the verb ''zir (to be), the future plays an unexpected effect. Let's see below: I will be in the town (static) = kemani ziraram (town.LOC be.IND.FUT.1sp) I go to the town (dynamic) = kemini ziraram (town.ILL be.IND.FUT.1sp) "I will be" somehow also express that "I go" (...so I will be there.) Also with verbal adjective contrustions (let's remember that -''z ''is a contraction of zir): I'm good = huzizam ''(genuinity.ADJ.be.IND.1sp) I become good = ''huzizaram (genuinity.ADJ.be.IND.FUT.1sp) "I will be good" express that "I become good" (... so I will be good). Thus, we can assume that the verb ''zir ''(to be) can also mean "to become" and/or "to go" by the future aspect. Person First: -m (므) Second: -ka (카) Third: zero-stem Number Singolar: zero-stem. Plural for the first person: -i (ㅣ) Plural for the other persons: -ri (리)